Telephone-mouthpiece.



G. DORSEYY TELEPHONE MOUTHPIECE.v APPLICATION. FILED JAN. 12. mm

1,244,433. Patented, Oct. 23,1917.

INVENTOR WITNESSES fla -JQ GEORGE DOBSEY, F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

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Specification 6: Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 23, 1917.

Application filed January 12, 1917. Serial No. 142,101.

. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGIE DORSEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Seattle, in the county of King, and State of Washington,have invented new and useful Improvements in Telephone-Mouthpieces, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to telephony, and more especially to antisepticprotectors for the mouthpiece; and the object of the same is to producea protector of this character applicable to any of the ordinary forms ofmouthpieces now in use, including a movable element whose upper portionis a shutter normally closing the bell of the mouthpiece and whose lowerportion is a screen or comb which stands normally in an antiseptic andwhich is raised out of the same across the open end of the bell whenthis element is lifted in order to use the telephone.

Details are set forth in the following specification and claims, and inthe accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a vertical sectional viewshowing this attachment applied to the mouthpiece of a telephone, themovable element being illustrated in full lines in its normal positlonand in dotted lines as raised as when the operator desires to use thephone.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation showing the shutter as raised.

In Fig. 1 is best seen the mouthpiece M of a telephone, whose front endis flared or shaped like a bell as at B, being usually applied to andremovable from the body of the telephone itself, and it is into thishell that the operator speaks and usually inserts the lips and from itthat it is believed germs are taken in the act of using the telephone.The purpose of the present invention is to provide a protector whichnormally closes this bell but which when raised to give the operatoraccess thereto will interpose between the lips and the bell a screenbathed in antiseptic of suitable character.

Coming now to the details of the present invention, the numeral 1designates-a tank standing preferably below the bell B and containing anantiseptic which may be a liquid or a powder-preferably the former. Anupright piece of sheet metal 2 may be pierced with a hole 3 for thereception of the shank or neck of the bell, and may be continued belowthe same to form the back 4 of the tank, then bent at 5 and carriedupward to-form the front 6 of the tank, then bent at 7 and carriedrearward to form the top 8 of the tank, and finally united at 9 with theback 2. When end pieces 10 are applied as indicated in Fig. :2, the tankis complete excepting that the top has a row of perforations or a slot11 across it near the front 6. From time to time the antiseptic may bereplenished by pouring it into the tank through the slot, or the topcould be detachably united at 9 with the back 2, so that it could beraised for washing out the tank and replenishing it with antiseptic.These details are not important, but I describe one simple Way of makingthe tank and the back plate, both of which are necessary to myinvention.

Coacting with the parts above described, is a movable element which alsomay well I be made of sheet metal. Its upper portion is solid andconstitutes a shutter 15 of a size and shape to amply cover the frontend of the bell B, and one side of this shutter may have a slightprojection constituting a handle 16. The lower portion of this elementis reticulated, perforated, or otherwise formed into a screen; and bypreference I provide it with longitudinal slots which prouce interposedteeth so that the screen as shown herein is in reality a comb 17 whosetines are integral with the lower edge of the shutter plate 15. Bypreference the entire element is given a slight curvature, and the frontwall 6 of the tank is given a corresponding curvature as best seen inFig. 1.

It is possible to permit this movable element to act by gravity, but Iprefer to employ a pair of coiled contractile springs 18 as best seen inFig. 1, each connected at its extremities with the top plate 8 of thetank and the shutter 15 near the upper edge of the latter, and thesesprings standing on opposite sides of the mouthpiece or bell B so as notmoving the bell B and passing the hole 3 110 over the usually". threadedshank of the mouthpiece M, and then restoring the bell. This holds thefixed element about the position seen in Fig. l and with the tankstanding beneath the bell. The movable element is now brought into useand its screen r comb passed down through the slot 11 in the top plate8, and the springs attached. Now when this element is released thecontractile action of the springs draws it downward to the positionshown in full lines in Fig. 1, when the comb 17 passes down into theantiseptic within the tank and the solid portion or shutter 15 standssquarely over the mouth of the bell B so that it is impossible to usethe telephone. When an operator approaches, he grasps the handle 16 andraises the device to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and infull lines in Fig. 2, which action draws the comb out of the antisepticand disposes it across the mouth of the bell; and thereafter he mustspeak' through this comb which of course is saturated with theantiseptic, whatever the latter may be Therefore he is positivelyprevented from pressing his lips against or into the bell, and even ifhe should place them against the comb he can not touch the bell and canonly touch the comb, which latter is covered with the anti septic. Thissolution (or powder) should be something that is not objectionable totaste or smell, something that does not evaporate too readily, andsomething which is not offensive in any way. While I have used the termcomb herein, and have shown the lower portion of the movable element asslotted to produce tines or teeth which in efiect would constitute acomb, it is clear that the object of the invention is attained if thisportion is reticulated, perforated, or otherwise rendered open to thepassage of the voice, but closed to the lips.-

This portion of the movable element may;

therefore be said in its fullest sense to be aI screen, asthat is itsfunction. My attachment may be applied to most of the forms of telephonemouthpieces now in use, and in fact I do not wish to be limited to itsapplication to telephones, as it might be serviceable elesewhere as forinstance, on the mouthpieces of other instruments or machines into whichtalking is done.

l/Vhat is claimed as new is 1. An attachment for telephone mouthpiecescomprising a chamber for an antiseptic,'means for supporting it adjacentto the mouthpiece, a movable element whereof one end constitutes ascreen normally housed within the chamber and the other end constitutesa shutter normally standing over the mouthpiece, and means forpermitting incense movement of said element to draw the screen acrosssaid mouthpiece. I

2. A mouthpiece for telephones and the like comprising a tank for anantiseptic, means for supporting it from and subjacent to themouthpiece, a movable element whose lower end constitutes a screennormally submerged in the antiseptic within the tank and whose upper endconstitutes a shutter normally standing over the front end of themouthpiece, and means for raising this element to draw the screen acrosssaid mouthpiece.

3. A mouthpiece for telephones and the like comprising a tank for anantiseptic, means for supporting it from and subjacent to themouthpiece, a movable element whose lower end is rendered open to thepassage of sound and normally submerged in the antiseptic and whoseupper end is closed and stands normally over the mouthpiece, andyielding means. holding said element in such position, for the purposeset forth.

4:. In an antiseptic mouthpiece for telephones and the like, thecombination with an upright metal strap having an opening through whichthe mouthpiece passes, and a tank carried by the lower end of the strap,the top of the tank standing beneath the bell of the mouthpiece andhaving a slot across its front edge forward of said bell; of a movablesheet metal element passing through said slot, its lower end beinglongitudinally slotted to produce a comb and its upper end solid andstanding normally over the front of said bell, and springs connectingthe upper end of this element with the tank, for the purpose set forth.

5. In an antiseptic mouthpiece for telephones and the like, thecombination with an upright metal strap having an opening through whichthe mouthpiece passes, and a tank carried by the lower end of the strap,the top of the tank standing beneath the bell of the mouthpiece andhaving a slot across its front edge forward of said bell, the front wallof said tank being curved; of a movable sheet metal element curved tocorrespond with the curvature of said wall and passing through the slotin the top of the tank, its lower end being longitudinally slotted toproduce a comb and its upper end being solid and standing normally infront of the mouth of the bell, a handle formed on the upper end, andsprings connecting the upper portion of the element with the tank andstanding at opposite sides of the bell, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

GEORGIE TDORSEY.

